"Undisturbed by colors": photorealism and narrative bioethics in the poetry of William Carlos Williams.
Between 1917 and 1935, William Carlos Williams' poetic style shifted from a focus on color to a verbal grayscale of photorealism. Considering this shift alongside of the historical connection between photography and eugenics raises questions about Williams' status as a physician during an era when medical discourse was dominated by theories of scientific racism. While one might conclude that Williams move from color to grayscale represents a capitulation to public health anxieties regarding the pathologized bodies of the immigrant poor, I argue that it is precisely through his adoption of black-and-white photorealism that Williams overturns hereditary notions of degeneracy.
Barounis
Cynthia
C
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. cbarou1@uic.edu
D001154:Art; D001675:Bioethics; D003116:Color; D005053:Eugenics; D005197:Famous Persons; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D033262:Narration; D010781:Photography; D011037:Poetry as Topic